Re: Slumberhouse Discussion

Originally Posted by Buysblind

It's messed up that noideawhatimsaying is catching so much flack for his opinion when certain people in this exact thread express themselves similarly when referring to other brands such as Tom Ford or Creed.

Whether one person uses a more articulate vocabulary than another doesn't really change the basic truth that it's just people expressing their opinions for good or bad.

To gang up on the guy and basically try to censor him because he's ruining the slumber house party seems unfair and hypocritical.

How many times will a Creed fan make a post before somebody jumps in to bash the line? It happens all the time.

Slumberhouse shouldn't be exempt, nor protected by "gatekeepers" who wield a little more power around here than the average base noter. It should be open to the same criticism (however crude or inarticulate it may seem) every other brand is.

That's all I have to say on the matter, but I thought it should be said.

Thank you very much for your support. I was quite surprised, too, by the hostility directed at me for my opinion. Nothing I said was offensive, it was just against the perceived hive-mind's mentality that Slumberhouse is (seemingly) infallible. Sure, the line is (in my opinion) a more passionate one than most other houses, but I fear he's going to lose his roots of what made his primary four so great.

Don't get me wrong - I love his boldness, but I don't want him to lose touch of wearability because people will eventually stop shelling out money for "different for different's sake" fragrances.

Re: Slumberhouse Discussion

Originally Posted by Buysblind

It's messed up that noideawhatimsaying is catching so much flack for his opinion when certain people in this exact thread express themselves similarly when referring to other brands such as Tom Ford or Creed.

Whether one person uses a more articulate vocabulary than another doesn't really change the basic truth that it's just people expressing their opinions for good or bad.

To gang up on the guy and basically try to censor him because he's ruining the slumber house party seems unfair and hypocritical.

How many times will a Creed fan make a post before somebody jumps in to bash the line? It happens all the time.

Slumberhouse shouldn't be exempt, nor protected by "gatekeepers" who wield a little more power around here than the average base noter. It should be open to the same criticism (however crude or inarticulate it may seem) every other brand is.

That's all I have to say on the matter, but I thought it should be said.

I agree. That's what we're trying to do.

Let me throw out where the moderation is going on this. Remember the old Guerlain threads? Well, there aren't as many of them, because the Guerlain people spend most of their time on Facebook now (which is something of a hint). But those old Guerlain threads were very pleasant places, where people who cared about the brand could rave or moan, and call things brilliant or trash, and still remain friends, and loyal followers of the brand. I would love to see ALL brand-related threads like that. What we DO NOT want is for the dysfunction that too often visits Creed threads to spread. That is simply not acceptable. The old Guerlain threads had an element of courtesy which we really need to spread to all of Basenotes.

Re: Slumberhouse Discussion

Originally Posted by Buysblind

It's messed up that noideawhatimsaying is catching so much flack for his opinion when certain people in this exact thread express themselves similarly when referring to other brands such as Tom Ford or Creed.

Whether one person uses a more articulate vocabulary than another doesn't really change the basic truth that it's just people expressing their opinions for good or bad.

To gang up on the guy and basically try to censor him because he's ruining the slumber house party seems unfair and hypocritical.

How many times will a Creed fan make a post before somebody jumps in to bash the line? It happens all the time.

Slumberhouse shouldn't be exempt, nor protected by "gatekeepers" who wield a little more power around here than the average base noter. It should be open to the same criticism (however crude or inarticulate it may seem) every other brand is.

That's all I have to say on the matter, but I thought it should be said.

Valid points - if you / anyone directs the posting as their own reference - like saying "I can't wear it / I find it unwearable" - than sayin "Sova is unwearable" - that's a major difference & I hope you get my point - have the BN explain the underlined from his words - as per who was it "failed" experimentation / Rume being extremely limited in where you can wear it / wearable should be a standard:

Originally Posted by noideawhatimsaying And I'm a huge fan of his scents, but it's just unwearable. It's medicinal black licorice, precisely. Anything else that people say about it is blind worship of his scents. I mean, I'll be honest - I definitely love the Slumberhouse lineup, but in reality - Norne and Sova are the ONLY two that work for me. Jeke is absurdly smokey where it's overwhelming, Pear & Olive is interesting but that's about it. Sova was gorgeous, Norne is gorgeous. Ore is an attempt at chocolate that is done much better by other houses. His more "failed" experiments (Flou, Sana, Grev) are just too off the wall for me. Rume is fantastic, but EXTREMELY limited in where you can wear it. Etc, just feel there is a lot of blind worship that CAN make Josh's artistic expression lose focus as it delves into more odd things (eg: Vikt, Zahd, etc - good, but are they PHENOMENAL? I mean, wearable should be a standard).

I have no issue with people here or anywhere saying anything about Slumberhouse or any other house; I'm not the "gatekeeper" nor a blind follower. If something's not up to it, I have told it here & to Josh personally - as I would with any other house, if I had such a chance to write to the parfumeur...There's another thread only about one of SH's parfums being too cloying or something, I've read through that & possibly contributed too - without taking offense or giving...

Voicing one's opinion about one's take on a parfum cannot & should not be generalised which was the reason I replied back to the BN in question...

Re: Slumberhouse Discussion

Originally Posted by noideawhatimsaying

Thank you very much for your support. I was quite surprised, too, by the hostility directed at me for my opinion. Nothing I said was offensive, it was just against the perceived hive-mind's mentality that Slumberhouse is (seemingly) infallible. Sure, the line is (in my opinion) a more passionate one than most other houses, but I fear he's going to lose his roots of what made his primary four so great.

Don't get me wrong - I love his boldness, but I don't want him to lose touch of wearability because people will eventually stop shelling out money for "different for different's sake" fragrances.

I agree that he needs to keep an eye on what might be called general wearability, but by the same token, if he gets too mainstream, he moves into territory that is not authentically his. Right now I think he's in an unfilled niche, and his originality finds a perfect home there.

The fact is, people do tire of lines - it's just natural. I would even agree that people will tire faster of more novel lines - as you put it, "difference for difference sake". I used to be a huge fan of Neil Morris, and I still respect him highly, but my interests have moved away from his stuff for the moment. They may return - we'll have to see. My interests move around quite a bit.

Neil's work tends to be a bit outside the mainstream, and dedicated to olfactory impressions of places, things, and stories. He's a very talented artist, and his work caught the fancy of Chandler Burr. He did one fairly mainstream scent for Takashimaya, and it was very, very good. His work is less challenging than Slumberhouse, but is also very appealing to people who want powerful olfactory impressions, and also to those who miss the gravitas of the classics. I would really recommend him to people who find Slumberhouse interesting but "too much".

Should Slumberhouse try to be more like Neil Morris - meaning different but more mainstream overall? Should Neil Morris try to be more edgy, like Slumberhouse? I would say no to both. These are two different artists, working where they want to work. Artists should be faithful to what they do - whatever that is. If you're a Thomas Kincaid type, and you want to influence millions of happy suburban and agrarian people with pleasant reminders of the values that give them comfort, I say go for it. Likewise, if you're an edgy New York performance artist with a small band of super-techie internet followers, then I say go for that, too. It's all good.

I want diversity in fragrance. I NEED diversity in fragrance. My two favorite "red" fragrances right now are Polo Red and Zahd. Totally different, but both very influencing to me. Polo Red is about a certain calm in the midst of excitement. It's a very comforting scent, which uses things like powder and boozy notes, but at the same time it has a blurring effect which is reminiscent of motion. I love it! "Faster, faster, until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death." It has the comfort of Polo Double Black, but a subdued energy from it's spicy undercurrent. I think the marketeers and the perfumer (Olivier Gillotin) really came through on the basic idea, which is a very hard thing to manifest in a fragrance that you can sell in Macy's. But I need other things. Zahd is poignant, poetic - a completely different take on red. It's an ode to a color and a texture, with a very emotional feeling around them. Very happy with that one - it's an unexpected pleasure. I am also looking forward to Kerosene's "Red Blanket" at some point - I think that might round out my red trio.

I don't want any of these people to be like the others. Just keep doing what they're doing. Don't change. Just influence and respect each other.

Re: Slumberhouse Discussion

On the one hand, the description of the bottle and color make me think it is EdP, but then again I thought he used 50ml bottles before he transformed to extrait formulations. To refresh anyone's mind, I'm the weirdo who prefers more projection in sacrifice of the longevity that extrait gives hahahaha. Can anyone speak to the projection of Jeke in the bottle Grungevig describes?

Re: Slumberhouse Discussion

Yes, I believe it is EdP. Extraits didn't come until later on, in the cylindrical bottles as lpp points out. At least this is my understanding. The move to extraits happened only a little over a year ago I believe...I bought one of the last Rume Extrait bottles on 2/21/13 for reference.

Originally Posted by markc

Slumberhouse experts, would like your expert knowledge. Grungevig and I are trying to figure out of the Jeke on his sales thread is in fact EdP. Can anyone confirm?

Re: Slumberhouse Discussion

That would be the EDP. He didn't begin making extrait concentrations until he got into the etched cylinder bottles ... and I believe even the early versions of those bottles were sometimes EDP before everything switched over.

Re: Slumberhouse Discussion

Originally Posted by deadidol

I love this description of it! Honestly, I've had a hard time with this one -- I really get something too vegetal from it. It's largely vetiver and violet leaf, but as always, the materials are unorthodox and it's spun away from what we normally understand violet to be. My own concern is that there are several scents from the line that I really didn't enjoy at first (although I could appreciate them), but came to love them later.

I'm test driving Mare today, sample courtesy of the 'house. Buysblind's description is indeed a good one. It does have a certain watery aspect, along with all of the green vegetation. Does anyone have a complete notes/components list? What is the spice featured prominently, is it clove?

Anyway, I am quite enjoying the fragrance. Seems like a perfect fit for a sunny early spring (almost) day! I dabbed, btw, did not spray, went with a very small application, as I do with Norne.

Re: Slumberhouse Discussion

Originally Posted by james1051

I'm test driving Mare today, sample courtesy of the 'house. Buysblind's description is indeed a good one. It does have a certain watery aspect, along with all of the green vegetation. Does anyone have a complete notes/components list? What is the spice featured prominently, is it clove? Anyway, I am quite enjoying the fragrance. Seems like a perfect fit for a sunny early spring (almost) day! I dabbed, btw, did not spray, went with a very small application, as I do with Norne.

I've heard dill being a player - told so by someone I gave a sample to...

Re: Slumberhouse Discussion

took a very long time for the woody-vetiver aspect to come up for me as well - however, all i got was compliments from around me - starting from my family in the house & then co-workers at work; it hasn't clicked for me though - personally...The green vegetal start is something I'm unable to get off...

Re: Slumberhouse Discussion

Funny, I tried a sample of Mare this morning. I'm under the weather, so it was a bad idea, but I couldn't hack it. I will try it again when I'm feeling better.

On a bright note, I've now joined all of you, having been able to purchase my first SH bottles today from the Marketplace. Hot Dog! Sova and Jeke will be heading my way this week! I have James1051 and Genie Jeanie to thank for giving me a very quick heads up!

I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Re: Slumberhouse Discussion

I just picked up a 40-50% bottle of Norne and a 80-90% bottle of Vikt (testers for sale in a store) for 122$, how did I do? Trying to upload pictures, not working for me. Very happy to have picked these up, especially since Vikt is discontinued... for now.

Re: Slumberhouse Discussion

Originally Posted by danieq

Funny, I tried a sample of Mare this morning. I'm under the weather, so it was a bad idea, but I couldn't hack it. I will try it again when I'm feeling better.

On a bright note, I've now joined all of you, having been able to purchase my first SH bottles today from the Marketplace. Hot Dog! Sova and Jeke will be heading my way this week! I have James1051 and Genie Jeanie to thank for giving me a very quick heads up!

Congratulations danieq on the new bottles of Sova & Jeke!

"When you become comfortable with uncertainty. infinite possibilities open up in your life"

Re: Slumberhouse Discussion

Originally Posted by james1051

I'm test driving Mare today, sample courtesy of the 'house. Buysblind's description is indeed a good one. It does have a certain watery aspect, along with all of the green vegetation. Does anyone have a complete notes/components list? What is the spice featured prominently, is it clove?

Anyway, I am quite enjoying the fragrance. Seems like a perfect fit for a sunny early spring (almost) day! I dabbed, btw, did not spray, went with a very small application, as I do with Norne.

Originally Posted by james1051

Yes, I get that. Not sure I would have picked it out if I hadn't read it here first, but yes, I think I get that too.

6 hours into the wearing, I'm picking up wood now, and a bit of tobacco leaf too; hadn't expected that.

Originally Posted by badarun

took a very long time for the woody-vetiver aspect to come up for me as well - however, all i got was compliments from around me - starting from my family in the house & then co-workers at work; it hasn't clicked for me though - personally...The green vegetal start is something I'm unable to get off...

I'm trying Mare right now, and I would have to say "all of the above". The part I like is the clove / tobacco / wood / vetiver / whatever - the part that smells like you just opened an old cedar chest with a bunch of papers in it, or an old trunk with a cloved apple. To me the watery aspects give it a kind of tenuous humidity and ambient dampness of the air - not too much, not too little. It's the way that you open an old trunk or a drawer in an old wooden desk and you inhale, hoping it's dry and hoping it smells good. There is an aged quality which perhaps comes from humid vanilla (aging paper) or tobacco leaf (aging leaves, but spicy). The kitchen in an old farmhouse - a tack room with fresh hay outside - it's the smell of a Hubert Shuptrine painting:

Very impressive. My wife doesn't like this - it's too out-of-the-box as a fragrance for her, culturally. But for me it's a real wow. Americana in a bottle. There is some coffee shop somewhere in the world that smells like Mare, and I would love to find it.

badarun - if the green stuff is overwhelming the woodier, "brown" stuff, try wearing it on clothing or a hanky instead of your skin. Your skin may be shifting the overall fragrance.

Re: Slumberhouse Discussion

Originally Posted by rouj

I just picked up a 40-50% bottle of Norne and a 80-90% bottle of Vikt (testers for sale in a store) for 122$, how did I do? Trying to upload pictures, not working for me. Very happy to have picked these up, especially since Vikt is discontinued... for now.

Originally Posted by danieq

On a bright note, I've now joined all of you, having been able to purchase my first SH bottles today from the Marketplace. Hot Dog! Sova and Jeke will be heading my way this week!

Re: Slumberhouse Discussion

Originally Posted by Redneck Perfumisto

I'm trying Mare right now, and I would have to say "all of the above". The part I like is the clove / tobacco / wood / vetiver / whatever - the part that smells like you just opened an old cedar chest with a bunch of papers in it, or an old trunk with a cloved apple. To me the watery aspects give it a kind of tenuous humidity and ambient dampness of the air - not too much, not too little. It's the way that you open an old trunk or a drawer in an old wooden desk and you inhale, hoping it's dry and hoping it smells good. There is an aged quality which perhaps comes from humid vanilla (aging paper) or tobacco leaf (aging leaves, but spicy). The kitchen in an old farmhouse - a tack room with fresh hay outside - it's the smell of a Hubert Shuptrine painting:

Very impressive. My wife doesn't like this - it's too out-of-the-box as a fragrance for her, culturally. But for me it's a real wow. Americana in a bottle. There is some coffee shop somewhere in the world that smells like Mare, and I would love to find it.

badarun - if the green stuff is overwhelming the woodier, "brown" stuff, try wearing it on clothing or a hanky instead of your skin. Your skin may be shifting the overall fragrance.

Very well described.

As a post script, when I got up this morning, Mare was still projecting that wood-vet-clove combo. 24 hours off a couple dabs. I completely enjoyed it, but don't think I would apply much more at any given time.

Re: Slumberhouse Discussion

Originally Posted by badarun

I never spray on clothing

Zahd is incredibly tenacious on clothing. My shirt with Zahd on the cuff just came out of the wash today, and it was still strong!

Clothing is a bit of a trick, but it can really help fragrances work as intended. Between paper, cloth and skin, I can almost make any fragrance work for me. When I use clothing, I tend to do it for things that evaporate fairly easily, and that I know won't stain. I enjoy winter because I can spray gloves, too, and most of mine are black, so no stains possible. I used an older shirt for Zahd, because it started out as a sample-decanting accident on the cuff.

You can always buy some cheap handkerchiefs and scent them, then wear them in your pocket. Or even just use nice fragrance blotters. I've used those, too. When I spray clothing, I tend to mist the outside, although it can also be inside the belt, under the collar, back of the tie, inside the jacket - they all work.

Excellent longevity, great tenacity, and beautiful fragrance that never goes strange. It's really worth trying. DULLAH got me started doing it on Windsor, so I could smell the rose, and I've never looked back.